Diamond Dogs
by picaropicara
Summary: Mob AU. Roxas knew from the moment he'd walked into Hollow Bastion six months ago that he had signed his death warrant. The money from this venture could buy him some time. Eventual AkuRoku
1. Escape Artists Never Die

**First Chapter: _Escape Artists Never Die:_**

A man shuffled out through the door of the infamous casino, pockets considerably emptier than when he had gone in, consoling himself with a strange concoction that could be described equally as alcohol or toxic. He was a stark contrast to the sounds of the high life from within its doors.

Inside, Hollow Bastion bustled and buzzed with the falling of night, music and laughter spilling out of its wide windows and onto the veranda, overwhelming the chirping of the crickets that hung in the warm air. The clanging klaxons that signaled a win were accompanied by a round of applause and the slamming of glasses onto the casino bar as the bartender prepared for victory rounds. Beautiful women meandered through a maze of craps tables to escort a poker buff to a table where he could take on the legendary Luxord, the casino's version of James Bond. Going up against his smooth talking and fast flicking fingers almost counted as a rite of passage here, and indeed this young man's friends were lined against a nearby wall, watching the game like punters at a derby.

Behind the bar, Vexen and Axel kept up a steady rhythm serving incredibly expensive, elaborate drinks to customers. Vexen's concotions were famous and people came from miles around to try his cocktails. They paid for a performance too, Axel being just as well known for his broad smile and his flair with dangerous tricks. The knowledge that Vexen had in fact started out mixing poisons amused the proprietor no end, although he rather conspicuously avoided the man's mixtures himself.

In short, business was good, a fact that widened Xemnas' smile and propelled his slow swagger through the throng of customers. Standing here, at the hub of his empire, he could feel emotion saturate the air around him, giving him a better high than any of the drugs he could peddle to the throngs of thrill-seekers and sin-lovers. He lowered his eyes to his drink and enjoyed the feeling of being the absolute best.

_dbdbdbdbdb_

Roxas' head thumped, eyes aching and mouth dry. His heart was pumping hard enough to crack his ribs, the blood rush almost completely drowning out the music from the club below. It almost covered up the thump as Zexion hit the floor, eyes closing as he fell sideways from his computer-chair. Roxas paused, adrenaline forcing bile into the back of his throat as he scoured the security screens for any signs that his actions had been noted. Momentarily relieved, he steadied his hands and slipped into the vacated chair before throwing himself into a world of a hidden numbers.

This was what he'd been hired for, by the silver haired mobster he was about to betray. This was what he was good at, slipping through international banking systems like a minnow through weeds. He was at the top of his class when he graduated, already making a name for himself as a security analyst when he was approached by Xemnas. Roxas knew who he was of course, everyone did, even if they couldn't explain what it was they knew. What they did know was that he was one of the richest men in the world, fingers in a hundred pies. What _Roxas_ knew was the kind of thing that you would only find in the private speculations of the police department, which just so happened to be where he'd gleaned it from. His skills as a hacker hadn't gone unnoticed and Xemnas had made it quite clear that if he wanted them to stay unnoticed, Roxas would be wise to make it worth Xemnas' while.

And so that was what he did, and how he came to be sitting here, with the wealth of a criminal empire at his fingertips.

_dbdbdbdbdb_

Xemnas murmured to a guest simpering on his arm as he led her out onto the dais, throwing back his arm to indicate the wealth of his estate; the country house in Midgar, the deluxe suites in Yen Sid Tower, everything just beyond the carpark and manicured gardens that hosted his famous parties in the middle of warm Traverse summers. Not five feet away, a shadow ducked slightly, like a bush in the breeze and that's what he took it for. You would think a mobster could tell the snap of a gun's safety from the crack of a branch, but he moved on in ignorance, much to the shadow's relief. With the twitch of his fingers, a stealth team moved closer, fanning out to cover the exits. They waited for a signal carried on a turning breeze.

_dbdbdbdbdb_

Calmer now, Roxas zipped through the security, firmly in his comfort zone. He paused only once, to savour the rush of elation as he bypassed the last hurdle, the last password punched in. Hard part done, he settled into an easy rhythm, commencing the transfer of thousands, no, millions of munny into a hundred, maybe a thousand different accounts in a hundred different countries, all owned by his new employer. As every transfer finished, he covered his tracks again, removing any trace of the movement of money and eradicating any evidence that could lead back to this room, this date, this man. The whole month had been spent surreptitiously erasing any mention of him and his employer from the records, public and private. Uncomfortable with the digital system, Zexion hadn't even noticed, placing his faith in his coded ledgers. With only Roxas' word to go on, fooling Zexion was almost too easy.

Zexion groaned at his feet, and it was with a pang of regret that Roxas hit him again. He stepped around his former colleague and rolled back the carpet to get the cash box. For Xemnas, petty cash came in sums of thousands, which he stuffed into a nondescript bag at his side. Fortunately for Roxas the notes should be harder to trace. His mouth tightened at the thought. The whole plan rests on too many shoulds and what ifs and tiny split second decisions. He was fully aware that he could be dead before the night is over, killed by Xemnas, by the police, by his employers. He was more than aware that it was far more profitable for his employer to kill him the instant he came to collect his wage, hence this hurried theft now. Still, the benefits... He knew from the moment he'd walked into Hollow Bastion six months ago that he had signed his death warrant. The money from this venture could buy him some time. Or it could buy him a sunny vacation in Atlantis before Xemnas could catch up with him and reward him for the betrayal. He would have to weigh up the options once he'd got out and away.

_dbdbdbdbdb_

A red-haired waitress leaned over the bar, chatting to Vexen as she idly drew patterns in the salt spilled across the marble top.

"If you leave early we'll be too short-staffed, what with Naminé calling sick upstairs and Roxas busy." He shook his head at her. Her eyes widened and she leaned forward again, jiggling on the balls of her feet.

"Naminé is sick?"

"Nausea and cramps or something. 'Girl troubles'." Vexen snorted in disbelief. "Probably knocked up." He turned his eyes accusingly on Axel who backed away laughing.

"Not me! Try Zexion, I hear he's quite the charmer if you can ever drag him downstairs."

"Could be Roxas? Where is he anyway, I thought he helped you guys out at weekends?"

She jumped back as Axel slammed a glass down moodily. "Busy tonight."

She shrugged and attempted to lighten the atmosphere, hurt by the bartender's snapping.

"Maybe it's Luxord." The waitress giggled. "That accent... Anyway, could I at least take my break early?" She jiggled again, biting her lip. "Come ooon, I'm dying for a smoke."

Vexen glanced at Axel who sighed. "Go on then. It's a little quieter now, I'll probably join you in a minute."

With a cautious smile, she waved and headed out the staff door, leaving Vexen to whine about the flightiness of the waitresses recently. Axel slumped across the bar and watched her go, wishing Roxas was there to amuse him. The cocky little tech usually slipped down through the night to work the bar with Axel, listening in to their customer's conversations and analysing them with Vexen at closing, complete with silly voices and air quoting. Whilst Vexen was a brilliant bartender, as company he was not Axel's first choice. He massaged his temples discreetly and wondered where Roxas was.

Axel was the first to know that tonight wasn't going to end well, tipped off by the man who vaulted into his space, shouldered him firmly into a wall and pinned his arms beneath him. His cigarette dropped to the floor, crushed beneath their feet, barely smoked. Axel decided not to struggle, as if the decision was his at that point. He heard the rattle of handcuffs and allowed the man to drag his wrists around and cuff them to each other.

"What, not going to read me my rights?" He murmured, mouth in the mortar. His forehead collided heavily with the bricks in an unorthodox policing move that meant _shut up criminal_. For once he took the hint and sighed at the loss of his cigarette as he was bundled from the area. Again, he wondered what on earth Roxas was doing this evening to miss out on this _fun_. It figured, first proper raid and the kid wasn't even around to keep him company in the cells.

_dbdbdbdbdb_

A flash of movement on the screens brought him leaping to his feet, hands catching at the bag. Biting his lip, he watched Naminé round the corner of their meeting spot, eyes flicking nervously at the security cam. The signal. Another movement caught his eye and he swore as he saw a man tackle Axel in the walled area at the back of the bar. For a moment he wavered, but barely a moment. Seconds counted more than brief friendships here, and they were slipping away from him far too fast. He had accepted the fact that other people might die tonight, as he had accepted the recurring image of him bleeding out on the hideous paisley carpet before he can even get out of the building. A half-second's hovering saw Axel cuffed and cooperative, another half second before he whirled and makes his escape. He doubted anyone who caught _him_ would give him the time to cooperate, especially once they worked out exactly what he'd pulled tonight.

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Naminé hovered by the designated spot, lighting up to hide her shaking fingers and give her an excuse for loitering. She'd known Roxas for years through her best friend, had got him mixed up in this whole stinking affair in the first place. She gnawed on her lip, remembering all that would happen tonight. Roxas would handle an unspecified task upstairs, collect some cash, twiddle some numbers. Then he'd come to her, follow an escape route she wasn't even sure existed and head over to a hidden safe-house of her organising. Around ten, there would be a police raid, in response to an anonymous tip, but he would be long gone by then. Her share of the money would be left in the safe-house and as long as she lay low and denied association, they would both live to enjoy it.

She wished it wasn't true, but she was really doing this for the money and for Roxas. She'd worked for Xemnas for three years, knowing his status in the criminal community and had never once thought of turning him in, or even trying to gain proof of his dealings. Greed greased the wheels of her altruism.

She waved a little as Cid the chef walked past, counting the minutes away on her watch. Five minutes to ten. Five minutes till they were all fucked. She turned as steps echoed down the stairs behind her.

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A bequiffed musician stalked onto the stage and struck an elaborate pose with the guitar slung about his neck. With a smirk and a wink he announced the evening's set. The strings twanged and thrummed into life and strains of Johnny Cash floated into the night air.

"How many?" The Chief of Police continued to sweep the room from afar, gaze slipping from te stage to the bar.

"Red's gone." He indicated the empty bar with a tilt of his head.

His lieutenant muttered orders before replying to the original question.

"All the main players are in place. Haven't seen Zexion yet but that's to be expected. He's got some tech help holed up upstairs, but I doubt they'll be any real problem. Xemnas and his bodyguards are in plain view, they're the ones to really pay attention to."

The Chief nods at the assessment. "Civilians?"

The lieutenant paused, bad news dancing on his tongue.

"Fifty, give or take. Kairi's got some of the girls... and guests... upstairs out of the way."

Sora stiffened, dropping the binoculars from his eyes for a moment.

"That's still too many." He muttered with a grimace.

Riku bit his tongue, stifling the opinion that over half of them were probably guilty of something. The criminally inclined would get what they deserved.

His communicator buzzed. With a glance at his commander he paused and confirmed.

"Squad 3 has apprehended Red. Clean confrontation, cooperation assured."

Sora nodded and frowned at the building once more. Both men were silent, minds racing, plans settling.

Sora shifted with a small smile. "Alright. In we go."

Orders relayed, they began to close in.

_dbdbdbdbdb_

Withdrawing, he hurriedly rearranged Zexion in the chair and dragged it back in front of the door. A precaution. When the SWAT team hit, on first inspection they would hopefully hold themselves responsible for Zexion's state. Maybe Zexion would too. Roxas muttered an apology under his breath before he slipped round the door and began to stride down the corridor. The dead security camera buzzed annoyedly as he passed, sensors noting his passage, but failing to record visual. He covered all the tracks. He hoped. God he hoped.

Downstairs, in a stairwell between the dressing rooms and the kitchens, the red-haired woman breathed instructions into a tiny microphone. For a moment the line was dead and she counted beats in the song as she subconsciously dug nails into the palm clenched around the device. Then a hiss of static through the ear piece and a confirmation. She unlatched the deadbolt on an unused exit and heaved it open to the dark. Within minutes the corridor was flooded with armed men, bundled up in riot gear. She accepted a gun and took the stairs to the dressing rooms, followed silently by her team.

_dbdbdbdbdb_

Just around the corner, mere seconds ahead of the cautiously scouting police team, Naminé grabbed Roxas' arm and dragged him into a supply cupboard. By the flickering light of a dying Zippo they swung open a door to the underside of the stage. Dust dropped down with every thump from the floor above. She whispered a quick good luck as he crawled into the dark space.

He grabbed her wrist. "Wait in the dressing room. Until the police get there. Cooperate with all their demands, they probably won't hold you for long. Lay low for a few days before you get the munny and watch your back."

Her arm shook in his grasp and she looked like she wanted it all to be over already. She took giant breaths just short of sobs as she composed herself. "I will do. Keep safe."

After a final goodbye she let the door swing shut and left him alone in the darkness. Slowly he spread out his hands across the floor, fingers catching on nails, props, dirty sequins as he scrabbled for the only way out of the building that didn't involve handcuffs and black eyes.

_dbdbdbdbdb_

With a shout, the main body of police took the front. As they slammed through the wide glass doors, the stealth team took storm the dais, ordering the patrons to duck and cover. There was almost complete silence for just a moment, as the reality of the situation sank in, as minds processed that this wasn't a nightmare they could wake up from. A waitress screamed, tray and glasses toppling and falling out of her hands. The sudden movement made a patron jump and whirl, caused Xaldin to grab his pistol and then all fucking hell broke loose. Glasses hit the floor, followed quickly by the waitress who crawled back, still screaming, clutching a bloodied shoulder. Lexaeus, the bouncer, grabbed her and hauled her behind the bar where a few of them crouched, flinching as glass and liquor showered down over them.

Roxas almost had a heart attack when he heard the glass breaking. _TOO SOON. TOO SOON. _His brain screamed, throwing his body into complete lockdown. His muscles burned as the screaming started and he flung his arms out, searching for a door he couldn't see. Wood splinters sprayed up, catching his cheek as a bullet slammed through the stage front and ploughed into the floor somewhere nearby. The pain broke through the sudden claustrophobia, the overwhelming fear (the flickering film reel of his blood staining the floor) and he flung himself forward, running suddenly sensitive palms over the concrete until he found it, the false block. He sobbed with relief, the sounds of gunfire and warfare drowning it out. Above him Demyx swore and shouted as he tried to signal his surrender. The thump of heavy boots right above indicated his capture, a heavy crack indicated his "ensured cooperation". The force wasn't going to be light-handed on this mission.

Roxas felt bile crawl back up into his mouth again as his body screamed for flight. Yanking the plastic slab upwards, he threw himself into the darkness beneath and into six inches of stinking water. He ran away from the door in a panic, refusing to let himself stop even to find a torch in the bag. Mild hysteria grabbed him as he splashed onwards, whimpering in the dark, the only sound being thrown back at him in a tunnel of echoes and ominous watery sounds.

_dbdbdbdbdb_

A few guilty-eyed guests tried to make a break for it, faster on their feet and their brains than most. Any mimicry was discouraged after seeing them tackled down by burly SWAT members and most were subdued quickly.

That still left Xemnas and Xigbar. The latter had swept forward to protect his boss and stood in front of him, eyes evaluating the threat as he waited for orders, fingers mere millimetres away from hidden guns. Hearts stopped as the room waited for the outcome of the orders. Their lives probably depended on whether they entailed violence or peace. Xemnas stayed completely stationary, head tilted to cover the expression in his eyes. Xigbar counted guns with a lopsided grin on his face that sent fear into the hearts of even the staunchest gunfighters in the team. Sora bit his lip, frantically weighing up the options although his eyes never left Xemnas, searching his face for any tell, any indication of what he would do.

Seconds ticked by.

Finally Xemnas twitched his finger ever so slightly, indicating his second-in-command to drop his guns. He raised his head and turned his face towards Sora, smiling beatifically, arms stretched elegantly towards him as if he was just an unexpected guest at a soirée.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, Inspector?"

Kairi stood on the stage, directing groups of officers and prisoners, counting some people off on a clipboard. She turned as a team of paramedics entered, carrying a shaky Zexion between them, signing the board with a flourish before waving at Sora, indicating the final headcount.

Sora nodded at her and made a note on his own board. Beside him, grim-faced, Riku roughly cuffed Xemnas' wrists together, trying to ignore the ever-present smirk on the criminal's face. Sora began to intone his rights, never once taking his eyes off of his prisoner's.

"You have been implicated in several murders, charged with conspiracy to harm, conspiracy to kill, conspiracy to supply drugs, conspiracy to enact fraud..."

Xemnas tutted at the violent treatment of his wrists. "Innocent until proven guilty, Lieutenant."

Riku shivered just a little under the mocking gaze and forced him round as they prepared for the transport to the prison complex. Sora gently pushed Riku back slightly, taking charge of Xemnas himself.

"I'll prove it." He smiled. "I already can."

_dbdbdbdbdb_

Still shaking, Roxas fumbled and cursed at his torch, sputtering in the gloom. He'd been walking for an hour, stopping every now and then to listen for pursuit. He wouldn't be able to relax until he had reached the safe house, until he had made himself completely untraceable. He can't enjoy the money if he's dead. Half a mile further and he's crawling out of a manhole and into a nearby park.

He changed his trousers and jacket, throwing the old ones back down into the dark. Satisfied that his tell-tale hair was completely hidden by a black hood he moved off confidently, pacing down the street to the agreed safe-house.

The first hide-out was in an out of the way garage, not abandoned, but closed for refurbishment. It lay on the outskirts of town, a good five miles from Hollow Bastion. The night was darker out here, further away from the vicious night-lighting of the centre of the city, and quiet, void of the night-life he'd grown used to in the area around the club. He leaned against a wall in an alley just down the road and lit a cigarette, watching the entrance for cars or movement. Although tense, his hands finally stopped shaking. A warm breeze blew the smoke into his eyes and he blinked, almost missing a flash of white in the direction of the forecourt. He pressed his shoulders back into the wall, straining his eyes for further movement. Moments passed without event, the cigarette burning down to the filter and just scorching his fingertips. The pain spurred him into action and he shook away the fear, reasoning it away as being a cat. A push at the gate forced it to squeak open, and he winced at the sound, glancing around to be sure he wasn't noticed. Gaining more confidence, he made his way to the side of the building and let himself in.

The building was dark inside, electricity off or the fuse blown. Roxas blinked, struggling to differentiate between shadows as he moved cautiously forward, pressed against the wall. He lurked outside for just another moment, searching for shadows cast in the dim corridor.

Every creak of the floorboards made him jump and flinch, and every shadow morphed into Xigbar or Xemnas himself, there to execute him for his betrayal. The chittering of rats as they fled from his feet turned into the menacing giggle of Larxene and sent shivers down his spine.

Finally he turned into a large office space in the depths of the building, furnished only with a desk and decaying scraps of nude calendars and rat shit. And in the middle a man, dressed in black, back turned.

With fury speeding his feet, Roxas dropped his bag and launched himself at the stranger, who turned in time to catch a shoulder to the chest that completely winded him. Roxas twisted his elbow in the man's stomach viciously, knocking them both off balance and driving them both to the floor. The figured doubled up underneath him, struggling to protect his stomach and face from further blows. Roxas lashed out indiscriminately, pouring all his fear and anger from tonight into cuffing the man. In the dark he missed as much as he hit and with a crunch he ended up punching the concrete. He yelped, tears springing to his eyes. Swearing loudly, the figure lashed out too, fist connecting with Roxas' jaw firmly and knees frantically pushing and kicking him off. Roxas rolled in the dust and shit, scrabbling for a handful to grind in his opponent's eyes, trying to keep him too busy to pull a gun. Coughing and spitting blood, the man shuffled backwards, hand out to ward off further attack as he cleared his lungs.

"Rox! Roxas, it's me!"

Adrenaline pumping, Roxas barely heard him as he tackled him again, pinning him to the floor with his knees, one hand pressed against the man's windpipe. With the other he yanked the balaclava away from the man's face, determined to see who had caught him so quickly.

The usual laid-back smile was replaced by a grimace of pain and a black hat covered the tell-tale blonde hair, but Roxas recognised the bloodied face, possibly the only friendly face in the world tonight.

"Hayner?"

* * *

_**A/N:** **This has been a long time in planning and it's finally done. This will be my first multi-chaptered fanfiction EVER, and my first in the KH fandom and I would love critical reviews. Many thanks to timydamonkey, my beta, for her insanely hard work editting this and for contributing the first paragraph. Round of applause ladies and gents, the girl's got determination.**_

_**P.S: I'm having an insane amount of fun writing the background characters in this, despite it supposedly being Roxas-centric. So if you follow my LJ at all, expect to see prompts related to this AU there. With muchos Demyx.**_


	2. Dirty Deeds

**Second Chapter: _Dirty Deeds_:**

The day had barely had time to get going before bad news arrived at Sora's door, in a whirl of pink hair and the scent of rose petals. He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand, screwing his eyes shut as if he could hide out the sight of his appointment list and the name gracing the top of it. The files beneath it were building up as well, an ominous pile of things to suck up his time.

"Kairi..." He whined at his lieutenant, "I'm going to need some coffee. With lots of sugar. And get Riku in here as well, if he's on duty, I need a show of muscle."

"I'll bet you do, Chief!" She winked jauntily as she left the room on her chores, narrowly avoiding the ball of paper he chucked her way. With a sigh, he got up and retrieved it, before stomping back to his seat. He refused to let his secretary call anyone in before he'd had coffee, and put it off as long as possible, entertaining himself by lining up balls of scrunched up paperwork and flicking them towards the bin by the door.

Riku came in, bearing the requested coffee, as well as a sugary bun. He raised an eyebrow as a paper ball hit him in the chest, looking at the thrower with a mixture of exasperation and loyal affection, fielding it with his feet until he could kick it into the bin. Sora applauded the trick shot with a grin.

"Coffee?"

"Three sugars, like you asked. Kairi thought you might need a snack too, face the day on a full stomach or some girly nonsense."

Sora took the drink appreciatively and began tearing mouthfuls from the bun, smearing sugar round his face. "Mmf, yeah I do. Have you seen my appointment list?" He glared reproachfully at the bit of paper as Riku picked it up.

"Marluxia Fontaine? The CEO of Fontaine Ltd... no wonder you haven't set foot outside your office yet. What does _he _want this early?"

"If I knew I wouldn't be hiding in here... Man, I remember when I didn't have an appointment list...or appointments at all. Those were good days."

Riku returned the paper to the desk with a smile. "Those were the days when you didn't have willing peons bringing you coffee and breakfast either."

Sora polished off the bun with a satisfied sigh. "It's all a balance of good and bad." He narrowed his eyes. "Now I have to deal with the bad."

He pushed the button on his intercom and put on his professional voice: "Garnet, send Mr. Fontaine through please."

He sat back with an unhappy sigh, looking up as Riku caught his eye, gesturing at his cheek. He hastily wiped the sugar off and sucked it from his fingertips, just before the reason for his sugar-crash prowled through the door.

Marluxia strode straight to the desk without waiting to be asked, grasping Sora's reluctantly offered hand like a hawk snatching up a pigeon.

"Sora! I'm glad you agreed to meet with me so soon. First though I must congratulate you on your recent appointment, key to the city and all." He smiled and stretched, completely at ease. "You're the youngest Chief ever, or so I heard. What are you, twenty four, twenty five?"

Behind him, Riku gritted his teeth at the flamboyant man's nonchalance and small talk. Sora's kept a small smile on his face, never shifted as he replied.

"Twenty four."

"Graduated the academy with flying colours and now this coup. The newspapers must be lapping it up."

Sora smiled again, as calmly as if Marluxia had just told him that 'a' stood for apple.

"I'm afraid if this is a social visit Mr. Fontaine, I must cut it short. My office comes with a lot of paperwork."

He laid down the files he had been shuffling. It wasn't hard to for Marluxia read his own name, neatly lettered on the side of a folder. Marluxia carefully schooled his face into the same smile, as if he hadn't noticed at all, as if this neat little act of intimidation hadn't angered him at all, hadn't even made him blink.

"Of course, as a CEO I understand that hassle perfectly. But I am here on business." He settled back into his seat.

"I like a coffee in the morning, Sora. It's my favourite part of the morning, so much so that I tell all my employees not to bother me during my coffee unless it's absolutely, vitally important. Sometimes they _still_ wait until afterwards." He smiled. "So imagine my surprise when my secretary bursts in this morning with an armed guard to inform me that I'm being brought in for questioning in relation to the arrest of some key business figures! I was so surprised I don't think I drank a drop."

He paused for dramatic effect, disappointed that it seemed to fall flat. He leaned forward earnestly, dropping his voice into a more serious tone. "I'm here to protest my innocence. And to offer you my help." He beckoned to Larxene, leaning against the doorframe with a bored expression on her face. She laid down a briefcase on the desk. Behind her, Riku stirred, preparing for action.

Sora stared down at the suitcase, ignoring the proffered latches. "Mr. Fontaine, I'm afraid I do not accept bribes, and I must remind you that that is an arrestable offence." Neither set of eyes strayed to the handcuffs at his belt, the same absolutely serene smiles locked in a battle across the desk.

"It's not a bribe." Marluxia clicked the locks and opened the lid delicately, like a man presenting an exquisite treasure. "These are all of the files related to my transactions with Xemnas Amsel and his company. Business transactions I hasten to add." He let a sense of hurt and betrayal run into his voice. "I had no idea that he had criminal dealings behind it all."

"Every CEO is a criminal." Sora hadn't moved through the whole speech, staring at Marluxia and his offering as if he was a street vendor selling tacky tourist trinkets. "Or so my mentor told me."

Anger seethed inside Marluxia at the snipe. Even Larxene looked over at his words, eyes narrowing like a hawk spotting prey. Still he kept his calm, offered a smile.

"I'd heard the same saying myself. But my endeavour here is to prove to you that I'm not of his ilk. Which is why I am giving you this, and this." From his pocket he withdrew a bunch of keys and laid them on the table beside the case. "My buildings have been closed since the news got out. Guarded at all times by your people. Nobody's been in, not the cleaners, not me. No one will do until you have satisfied your curiosity. So I offer you these. Go in, search everything. No door is locked to you. Please, investigate until you have proved me as innocent as I know I am."

For a moment he thought he would stalemate, that Riku would swing Larxene's face to the wall and Sora would cuff his hands to the table, tell them that they knew everything. His blood raced as it hadn't since he read his first stocks report.

Slowly Sora's hand raised to the table top and curved over the keys.

"I will do. Thank you for offering yourself like this. May I assume your kindness continues for all our investigation?"

"I will give you everything you need to find the guilty."

With that he knew he'd won. He took a divine amount of pleasure in stretching his hand out to the Chief, like a gentleman, like a man above reproach. He even ignored Sora's reluctance to grasp it, caught in the high of his win. Larxene swaggered to his side and took his elbow, tossing her hair at Riku's emotionless gaze.

He paused by the door and turned to Riku. "And the business I filed earlier?"

Riku kept his eyes fixed on the wall opposite the door. "It will be attended to this afternoon. By me personally."

"Excellent."

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Marluxia breezed past the policemen happily, barely able to keep his glee from his face. Larxene strutted at his side, not bothering to conceal her happy smirk. They burst into the sunlight side by side, pausing at the top of the stairs in identical poses of triumph. Con-artistes, show people and tabloid darlings. Cameras flashed and the news crews surged forwards against a barrier of grim-faced, armoured officers. An officer clone appeared at his shoulder and guided him down the stairs to his waiting car, shouldering past screeching journalists, frantically waving their microphones for the perfect sound byte, pens waving for the first scoop on the outcome of the trials. Only when the door had slammed shut, and the tinted glass hid them from view, did the pair finally allow themselves the full comfort and satisfaction of their win.

"So, we did it." Larxene leaned back in the seat, staring sideways at her partner as she allowed her head to loll luxuriously against the leather. It felt like success and grandeur and everything she deserved.

"Mhm."

"You sat in there and lied through your teeth to the little boy blue and his dibble crew and they never suspected a thing. I'd rather expected you to be happier. Ecstatic perhaps. After all, we're clean as far as they know. We're running free." She shrugged out of her seat belt and crawled onto his lap, enjoying his grimace as her stilettos dug into his thighs. "The least you could do is smile." She showed him how, flashing a row of pearly whites in a grin as comforting as a shark's.

He surrendered to her teasing briefly, allowing her to pull him close for a kiss before he pulled away again, mind preoccupied. He turned his head to the window, watching the road roll by as she turned her attention to his belt, then his zip.

The physical sensations seemed distant and matter-of-fact as he collected his thoughts on his seeming victory. By offering himself up for investigation he had placed himself above reproach, made himself the better man against the Chief Inspector. Of course he wasn't stupid. He'd checked what he could of the files himself, knew that as long as Roxas had finished the job, there was no way he could be incriminated. Except by Roxas himself, the cause of his unrest, even now on the eve of his victory. The little bastard was smart, had never turned up to collect the rest of his wages. His lips curled into a moue of distaste when he thought about the painless death the boy had avoided. Now it would have to be messy and painful.

The name slipped out of his lips without thought. "Roxass..." He drew out the consonant involuntarily as his hips jerked forward under Larxene's ministrations.

He blinked away the sex haze as she straddled his lap and slapped him cruelly. He smiled at her predictability. Her nails scored the side of his face slowly, viciously, sensually as she dragged his attention backed to her, punished him for ever letting it slip away.

"Got someone else on your mind?" She bit his lip savagely. "Is she as pretty as me?"

"He's not."

She lifted his hand, ran it down the inside of her thigh till it pressed against the knife there. "Is he as dangerous as me?"

He laughed indulgently. "Is anyone?"

"No." She kissed him. "Who is he?"

"Roxas. The infiltrator. He hasn't shown up at all since the heist."

"Ah." She sat back again, delicately wiping her lips.

"He's probably running scared, too scared to rat me out, but still... the opportunity is there. A hidden enemy. A weed."

She pouted. "This is why you should have let me go with him. I could have watched him work and then slit his throat."

"I couldn't risk having you anywhere near the building when it was raided. It would have undermined my cover somewhat if my fiancee had turned up amongst the criminals and the strippers."

She acceded, turning from him again to rummage in her bag for a bottle of wine. Glass clinked against steel-coloured nails as she pulled it out and handed it to him.

"So what do we do now? Sit around and wait for him to crawl out of the shadows?"

"No." His eyes narrowed in thought. "There's a lot of damage he can do just crawling around in the shadows, damage to my reputation especially. Now, my dear," He leaned forward to pry the cork from the bottle, taking his time over serving. "Now we make use of our favourite employee, back from the den of vice this very afternoon."

"Axel? Axel's coming back?" Her eyes lit up. "Oh he's fun. Good choice." She nodded appreciatively, taking a sip of wine.

"Indeed. If anyone can find Roxas it's him. His information gathering is second only to Vexen, but without that hideous tendency for melodramatics. He was the most valuable member of Xemnas's little group... not that he ever used him to his full potential." He made a sound of disgust. "I never should have let him go in the first place..."

"Can he – will he kill him? When he finds him?" Larxene leaned forward eagerly, breathily begging him for details in the same way she begged him for blood in dark hotel bedrooms. Long blonde hair tangled over her vicious eyes, cheeks glowing in a deep blush. "Will he kill him for you?"

"Of course he will dearest." He stroked her hair, letting it fall between his fingers. "You know our Axel... he's always good at getting rid of the evidence."

She shifted in his lap, taking a swig from the bottle with one hand around his shoulders. "Will you make him tell me?"

"I'll even make him draw you a picture." She giggled and kissed him again, urgently, viciously in her excitement and blood-lust.

"A toast then, as there will be no funeral..." He raised his glass with a smirk. "To Roxas, he did his job... and he did it too well to be trusted."

Glasses clinked in the backseat, wine moved from lips to probing tongues as the limousine drove onwards.

_dbdbdbdbdb_

Axel had been unsurprised when he had woken up in prison. He was pretty surprised at how much his head hurt though, briefly considering complaining about police mistreatment. He highly doubted they'd even listen to his complaints, but it would at least make him feel slightly better. He had examined the lump on his head with his fingers, wincing and swearing softly as he judged the extent of the damage. Satisfied that he would live to fight another day, he lay back on the bed in his cell, listening to Demyx cursing through the wall, the shouting sending shooting pains through his head again. He could hear Riku reprimanding him as he confiscated the harmonica that the blonde had somehow managed to keep by hiding it in his _hair_.

"How am I supposed to create the proper atmosphere without a harmonica? Prison blues, man! This is where it all started!" Demyx whined and pleaded, desperately making a nuisance of himself, much to Axel's amusement. Everyone knew about Demyx's love-hate relationship with the police. They loved to harass him (for no reason, or so Demyx claimed), but hated to keep him around too long. Axel was beginning to see why if he was this annoying every time he was incarcerated.

"And this is where it stops or I will have you strip searched."

"Fine. But you can't stop me singing now can you?"

"That all depends on whether I can find a gag large enough."

The argument continued as Demyx made several loud, crude assumptions about the officer's sex life, ending in the door banging closed as Demyx began to sing _Always Look On The Bright Side of Life_, at the top of his lungs. Axel briefly wondered if his hair was long enough to strangle himself.

His suicidal pondering was interrupted by the jangle and click of keys turning in the locks. Warily, he shifted to a vaguely more upright position.

"What about Demyx?" He jerked his thumb towards the cell wall. "He's just a musician!"

"Mr DuMarais has this tiny little problem of a previous conviction. Drug related, I believe. Right Music Man?"

"I was framed!" Demyx wailed, the wall muffling his protests.

"Right." Riku rolled his eyes and jerked his thumb at the door. "On your feet, Red."

Axel stood stiffly, sticking his hands out in front of him to be cuffed, only to have Riku haul them behind him. He grunted slightly as he was manhandled, willing to show cooperation but definitely not deference.

"Why Riku, you could have bought me dinner first, you beast."

"Shut up, Red, or I'll leave you in here to listen to _that _all night." Riku jerked his head to the wall, indicating Demyx's new choice of vocal torment: _Somewhere Over the Rainbow_.

Axel winched and nodded. "Better get me out of here before he decides to do the greatest hits of musical theatre."

Riku shook the cuffs to check their tightness before guiding Axel out of the cell, one had firmly around his biceps as he lead him through the corridors. The monotony was just getting to Axel when he was pulled back suddenly and swung to face a door. A petite officer unlocked it and waved them inside, Axel first. He heard the locks click behind them as he blinked, adjusting his eyes to the sudden change in light. Riku lead him forward a few paces and pushed him into a chair on one side of a table. The cuffs clicked and unclicked as Riku reattached him to the table. Obviously he wasn't going to take any chances here.

Axel made a show of rotating his free wrist as he took stock of his surroundings. Standard questioning room, a table, two chairs. Harsh halogen lighting. A small file on the table, bearing his name. He took pride in its size, a reminder of his ability to avoid contact with the law. For a moment, he almost let himself relax, knowing how little they could have on him.

"What? No two-way mirror?" Axel shook his head. "You've let me down there, Officer Riku."

Riku smiled a non-humorous smile. "Life isn't like the movies, Red." He gestured at the table. "No coffee either. No good cop-bad cop routine, just you, me and a few questions."

Axel could almost admire his no-nonsense attitude, his competent and quick way of dealing with things, except that he had heard about this man. Officer Riku was a by-word for zealotry in his circles, his dedication to the cause of law enforcement akin to a religious crusade. He didn't torture, he didn't interrogate, he abided strictly by the rules, but there was always the sense that he was on the edge of breaking them, of violating them all just for you. And he never gave up on a hunch. If he thought you were guilty he would pursue you to the end of the world. The lack of weapons in the room didn't give him any relief either, Riku was out to get him with words only.

Axel refused to meet his gaze, refused to play his game. "So."

"So indeed." Riku sat opposite him, hand casually falling to his waist, to his weapon, the seeming relaxation betrayed by his tight posture. They watched each other for a moment, Axel wary and tense in his chair. Riku broke the silence first.

"I wouldn't release you, if it was up to me." Axel said nothing, kept quiet, kept his face down, the conditioned reaction to police questioning since he was a child. "But at this point I don't really have a choice. Marluxia Fontaine made your bail this morning. Do you know him?"

Axel grunted ambiguously.

"I believe he is your former employer. Dragged you out of the gutter at seventeen it says here." Riku didn't bother to look down at the file, just waved it tantalisingly under Axel's nose. "Gave you a home. Gave you a job. Then at nineteen he recommended your services to Mr. Xemnas Amsel. You did some general jobs. Handiwork and the like. He even let you live in his club. That's a pretty unusual gesture of compassion for a man like him." He paused to let Axel comment and sighed at the ensuing silence. "And so here you are. You know, I think he'd be disappointed if you didn't remember him now."

"I remember."

Riku changed tack as the silence continued, trying to worm his way into any crack in Axel's defence. He had to be guilty of _something_. You don't just appear on the legal circuit under Xemnas's control without doing _something_ criminal. It was said that Xemnas wouldn't even considering hiring a man who hadn't killed more than once.

"You're a hard man to track, did you know that? We couldn't find anything on you in our system until Mr. Fontaine provided the background this morning. Not just a lack of convictions, a lack of anything, no hospital records, housing records, nothing."

"Can't convict me for doing nothing."

"I can't. But you can't have lived twenty-odd years without doing something. And I can convict you for something." He grinned. "Got something to confess? Want to show a little solidarity with your cell mates perhaps?"

Axel scrutinised the table, picking at the dust in the cracks with one finger. "I've done nothing wrong."

Riku stared at him, arms folded at the denial, teeth gritted at his impotence in this situation. If he didn't get something from Axel now, he would have to idly sit by and watch a criminal walk free.

He broke the stalemate. "So officially you are now on bail, and unlikely to be charged with anything serious _despite_ your involvement in a criminal organisation." Riku's voice was saturated with contempt. "As your "home"," he snorted sarcastically, "is currently under police guard, you cannot return there. Fortunately for you, Mr. Fontaine has promised to make arrangements. We've been given the address, and we will be making checks." He smirked. "So this isn't the time to take a break in Atlantis, got it?"

"You got it, sir." The sir was a nice touch, Axel reflected. Almost respectful.

"Your release on bail is of course subject to you turning up in court. The dates set will be given to your benefactor, although we reserve the right to re-arrest you at any point if information concerning you and criminal activity comes to light. Do you understand?"

Axel nodded, knew how the procedure went, knew how to make it go faster.

"You may also be called to testify against your former colleagues." Riku let the statement hang dead in the air for a moment, never taking his eyes off his prisoner.

Axel had no doubt that the man was on the verge of making some comment about thieves' loyalty or some twisted code of honour. In part he would have been right. He did have friends in the Organisation, or something close to friends. Demyx had always been a source of entertainment, Luxord an almost mentor. And Roxas, his confidante, companion in arms, blight to Lexaeus and anyone who tried to enforce some kind of order inside Hollow Bastion. But his liberty, even restricted as it was, relied in some way on him turning on these people. For that alone, he always would.

Axel stared at the wood-grain, biting back the self-hate that rose in his chest as he spoke again.

"I am willing to tell you anything you need." He looked up through vagrant strands of red to meet the eyes of his jailer. "To sort the innocent from the guilty."

Riku's lips thinned at the comment, twisting into an almost smile. After a moment he gave an abrupt nod and moved to unlock the handcuffs. They remained silent as he opened the door and escorted Axel to processing. Once there he did pause, opened his mouth as if to say something, then shook it away and left after telling the girl behind the counter to get him out quickly.

The pretty brunette ignored his nervous flirting as she sorted through his possessions on the counter. Half-empty lighter. Battered packet of cigarettes. Wallet. A few notes. His driver's license. His keys. She slid them across the counter to him, checking them off on a list, punctuating each item with a whiplash crack of her gum that set his teeth on edge. The room felt close around him, the bland grey walls seemed to press closer around him. Axel stared at them, focusing on the blu-tak spots and chips in the paint, daring them to move. He found himself unconsciously breathing in time to the clock on the wall as it merrily marked off more seconds of his life trapped in this hole. He was interrupted suddenly as the brunette tapped his hand with her pen, like a child poking road kill with a stick.

"Sign here please."

He blinked at her, causing her to sigh in frustration as she tapped the piece of paper in front of him. "Sign here please, and then you may leave. Go home." The bored tone twisted at the last, insinuating her doubt that this freak ever had a home.

Leave... go... He snatched the pen with barely concealed elation, grinning as she jumped at the movement and then tried to cover her fear. The vicious smile never quite left his face as he scrawled his name with aplomb before dropping the pen an inch from her nose.

"Thanks there..." He made a show of reading her name tag. "Yuna. It's been a pleasure. Like a home away from home. You got a nice home?"

She nodded, nervously. He wondered if there was a panic button behind her desk, wondered if she was slowly reaching for it.

"I bet you do. White picket fence and all..." He nodded to himself, as if taking this information down on a check list in his mind. "Out in the suburbs. Good schools out there." She opened her mouth, uncertain. He could almost see the relief on her face when the door behind him opened and another officer stepped in, clearing his throat loudly.

"You finished?"

Axel straightened and stretched, scooping up his belongings and shoving them into the pockets of his reclaimed jacket. "Yessir, officer sir." He gave a lazy salute as he turned, enjoying the distance the officer maintained as he moved, the way he flinched as Axel brushed past him in the doorway.

He was escorted without ceremony or conversation from the building and into the dying warmth of twilight. The sunset set the stone steps of the complex ablaze with reds and pinks, dazzled his eyes, so accustomed to the neon gloom. For a moment he felt dizzy, delirious, clutching the handrail as if it was a lifeline, basking in the feeling of freedom. The door slammed behind him as the officer walked away, the last vestige of imprisonment disappearing. Even being locked away for that short amount of time drove him crazy, panicked him. The fiery light soothed him, soothed the muscles he'd been holding tense for three days and let him finally relax, if only a little bit.

The squeal of brakes in the distance made him stand straighter, smiling to himself. He pulled his reclaimed cigarettes from his pocket and lit one, not taking his eyes from the sunset until the source of poor driving rolled to a slightly more discreet stop in front of him. He swaggered down the steps, and let himself into the convertible, never letting his smile fall for a second.

Larxene opened her mouth to reprimand him for smoking in her car, but let her ire fall in the face of his too-calm nonchalance. She watched as he flipped the switch for the roof and found the radio before reclining, blowing smoke into the sky with his eyes closed.

"Drive."


	3. A Favour House Atlantic

**Third Chapter: _A Favour House Atlantic:_**

They crouched against the wall, cigarette flaring in the darkness as they passed it between them.

Roxas breathed out hard, resting his head on his knees.

"What are you doing here Hayner?"

"Came to get you, man. Naminé told me you were in trouble."

"Bad news travels quickly." Roxas observed around the butt of the cigarette.

"Something like that. Look, Naminé means well but she's not smart about this sort of thing."

"Oh, and you are?" Roxas interjected angrily.

"More than her." Hayner continued unperturbed. "You can't stay here long. You're not far enough away yet. I mean, hell, you can practically see the lights of that place from here. So I came to get you out. Y'know, take you somewhere safe. Safer than this anyway."

"And going with you is safe?!" Roxas hissed. "These people are expert killers, Hayner and they know _all about me_. They know where I live, they know who my friends are, they know who _you _are and they probably know where you _live_. They're going to assume I'll run to you first."

"In which case you really shouldn't stay here." Hayner stood up and brushed his hands off with a wince, stamping out the cigarette butt as he did. "This place is mine too. And close. First, and best, place to look for you as it turns out."

"W-what?" Roxas grabbed his hand and pulled himself up. "Since when did you buy a garage?"

Hayner rubbed the back of his head. "Well, my uncle died recently. Left me a bit of cash. Figured I'd set up a skate shop, y'know, like we used to talk about. Get Naminé to paint some customs, brick up a mini half-pipe in the forecourt... Just haven't got round to it yet. Namine came to me about a week back, said you needed somewhere to lie low... well it's an empty lot. Figured it would work."

"You didn't tell me." Roxas looked over at the place, squat and dark, trying to imagine it how Hayner did, the forecourt lit up and built up, some rails to grind off. The dank room where they'd fought could be his office, Naminé's original pieces priced up on the walls behind him. He liked the dream.

Hayner looked away, walking down the street without glancing back. "Well, you've been pretty hard to get hold of. Almost dropped off the map when you graduated. Only found out where you'd got to when Naminé got that job at Hollow Bastion. She was as surprised as me to hear where you'd ended up. We all thought you'd end up working for the law, not against it." His tone wasn't quite reproachful, but it still sent pangs of shame and regret through Roxas' heart.

"I... had some trouble. Got into some debt after university. I'm not like you," he added, bitter, clenching the money to himself like a shield, "_Daddy _can't pay off my student loans."

Hayner stopped walking abruptly, Roxas almost bouncing off his back and dropping the bag in the darkness. "That was uncalled for."

They fell silent, Roxas trailing some feet behind him. When he next looked up, Hayner was gone, standing on the other side of the road next to a small car. Without another word he slid into the driver's seat and started the engine, waiting for Roxas to slide in next to him.

It wasn't Hayner's fault, he knew that. It was just that Hayner didn't understand, didn't understand being deeply in debt, unable to buy groceries, even keep the roof over his head, because his father was rich enough to cover it all. Even now, Hayner had stepped into a well-paying job at a company, because his father knew the owner. Even if his uncle hadn't died, if Hayner's dad had known about his dream, he probably would have paid for that as well. Roxas was guilty, he was tired, he was frustrated and he was taking it out on Hayner because Hayner had stepped down from his alabaster world for a moment and suddenly he thought he could make everything better. Hayner probably couldn't even imagine what had happened to him in the last few hours and that only made it worse.

The car ground into motion, gravel spraying away from its tyres, Hayner struggling with the gears in silence.

"I shouldn't have said that."

"No, you shouldn't." Hayner turned onto the main road to Twilight Town and accelerated into a steady pace. He glanced down at his sullen passenger and sighed. "You could have told me, you know. You_ should _have told me. I could have helped."

Roxas glared back, struggling to bite back the anger that rose in him at the comment.

"Not like that!" He sighed at the antagonism. "I just mean I could have helped you find a job, given you a place to stay while you got sorted... something, anything. You could have turned to any of us, Pence, Olette... hell even Ansem would have looked out for you, he always liked you. But you just turned away from us Rox. We lost you."

"I..."

"You had your pride. I know, Rox. You always have." He sounded frustrated. Roxas didn't know how to answer that without turning it into a fight. He always turned things into a fight when it came to Hayner, a side effect of his masculine pride.

Roxas settled into a moody silence, resting his thumping forehead against the cool glass and watching the street lights stream past, their light turning into one long line of neon orange. He couldn't even see the stars any more. He felt trapped, suffocated. He had too many feelings to contend with: his exhaustion, pain, confusion, guilt, worry, fear. They all swirled and tumbled in his head, in his stomach, forcing his eyes lower and lower, until he gave in and closed them completely, tears rolling wet and unrestrained from underneath his eyelashes.

_dbdbdbdbdb_

He didn't wake up until much later. The lights had given way to country skies, the radio playing some quiet love ballad. Hayner was singing along with it under his breath, fingers tapping gently on the wheel as he crooned. The road turned to a dirt track, and with an almost painful intake of breath, Roxas realised where they were. The scene was so familiar, each jarring bump to the suspension a little memory in its own right. This house was where he had spent his childhood, practically adopted by Hayner's mother. He squeezed his eyes shut, afraid to look and let the memories come back. They rolled gently to a stop just as the radio finished playing the song. Hayner sat for a moment with the engine running, as if he was scared to turn to his passenger. Then he got out, letting the door slam shut behind him. For a moment, Roxas thought he'd been abandoned, left to sleep in the car in revenge for the hurt. Then his door swung open and the cold night air hit him, forcing him to open his eyes.

"Can you walk?" Hayner whispered, trying to cover his concern as he shivered.

"Y-yeah." Roxas winced as he unfolded himself from his sleeping position and undid his seatbelt. All his muscles ached, his poor, mashed knuckles locked in one pose and all his various cuts and bruises letting their presence be known.

Hayner's arms wound round him, tugging him from the seat. He would have wriggled away, made some protest, but for the fact that his back chose that moment to go into a painful spasm. He whined into his best friend's neck, hating himself for it even as he did so. Hayner gently lowered him to the floor, giving him a moment to massage the feeling back into his legs.

"Don't make me carry you, man. You're enough of a woman already." Hayner joked, trying to lighten the atmosphere. Roxas replied with a lazy and very gentle punch, stumbling forward a few steps on his own, before Hayner, as tactfully as he could, put his arm around his shoulders to help him to the door.

The house even smelled the same, Roxas reflected, like dried flowers and log fires and bread. It felt safe. He took a deep breath in, savouring it, savouring the only moment of comfort he'd felt all night. It seemed that any minute, Olette would round the corner carrying a fresh plate of cookies, or Pence would pop up from behind the sofa, waving a games controller.

"Do you want a drink?" Hayner whispered gruffly, turning on the light to the kitchen. Roxas shook his head dumbly, too caught up in the nostalgia to answer.

"Fair enough." Hayner clattered around in the kitchen for a minute, returning with a bottle of beer hanging between his fingers.

They stood awkwardly in the hallway, no words to say, each glancing at the other then the floor or the walls. After a while, Hayner gave up on Roxas for the night.

"The spare room's all made up. Your old room."

Roxas looked up in surprise. This place had very literally been a second home to him. He'd almost been afraid to go up those stairs and find it all different.

"Go on up. There's a toothbrush in the bathroom." Hayner scratched his head tiredly, wanting to say more, but unable to. "I guess I'll see you in the morning."

Roxas half-turned on the stairs, foot poised to take another step. "... We'll talk tomorrow." It was a start, a small apology that cleared the air a little.

"Yeah. Goodnight."

"Night..."

Feet found the familiar path, hands passing paths over walls to light switches and lamps that time had engrained into his memory some time in his youth. It was funny, he'd never thought of himself as old until now, until he'd almost died and come back to his roots. Roxas slumped on the bed, head in his hands, completely overwhelmed by the events of the last twenty-four hours, all the adrenaline gone, all the memories stirred up and fighting for attention in his mind. He fell backwards with a groan, arm over his eyes and finally fell asleep.

Below him, Hayner sat on the stairs, the beer bottle barely touched by his feet. A cigarette hung in his mouth, blue smoke disappearing into the darkness. His fingers rested lightly on a shotgun, eyes trained on the door, and ears pricked for the sounds of approaching transport. He stayed like that for a long time, long past dawn's beginning, until he was damn sure they were alone.

_dbdbdbdbdb_

Roxas was very surprised to find himself alive the next morning. The events of the night before seemed aeons old, dulled by sleep and blotted out by pain. He ached, all over, his hands the worst, the skin cracking and oozing over his cut up knuckles. The bed was covered in flakes of dried blood, rubbed from his face, hands and arms. The rank smell of sweat rose from his clothes and he found himself feeling increasingly nauseous. He levered himself off the bed with a curse, falling over his own feet on the way to the shower.

He rested his head on the tiles as the steam rose around him, feeling the pain ebb a little. His hair fell in his eyes, sending droplets running down his face as he sighed in bliss, rolling the aches out of his shoulders. The heat wrapped him in its cocoon, lulling him into a drowsy relaxation. Until the memories came flooding back, of gunshots and running, and sewers and police and the looming figure of Marluxia Fontaine.

He shuddered and left, quickly towelling himself off and dressing in his jeans from the night before. He opened the wardrobe with a pang of nostalgia, surprised to find some of his old t-shirts actually still in there. He shouldered into one quickly, pulling it down as far as it would go, feeling bare skin cooling and drying in cold air.

The gun was the first thing he saw when he came down the stairs, resting by the door to the kitchen. The sight chilled him, sent his heart racing and his mind into a panic. His hands clenched on the banisters, trying to steady him in a sudden bout of dizzyness. The room ahead of him swam in front of his eyes as he struggled to stay calm.

"Roxas? Rox? Are you alright?" Hayner's head popped round the kitchen door, concern thick in his voice. He hurried out, drying his hands on a towel, offering a free hand to Roxas. "Are you still stiff?"

"A little. Just need to get moving." Roxas ignored the proffered hand, and the hurt look on Hayner's face as he padded down the stairs, a little more relieved now that his unwanted saviour had appeared. "What's with the gun?"

Hayner shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant.

"Dad's pheasant gun. He left a few around the place. I figured we should be prepared, y'know?"

"For homicidal pheasants?" Roxas quipped, trying to lighten the mood as he walked into the kitchen. He could smell bacon frying on the stove, saw porridge steaming in a pan on the hob.

"Oh hah hah." Hayner rolled his eyes and walked back to his station by the stove. "Porridge or bacon, Rox?"

Roxas's stomach rumbled painfully at the thought. "Both. And eggs." The tenseness left the conversation for a bit, Hayner laughing at his demands.

"I don't know where you put it, man. You used to pack away like five ice creams at a time too, and that was after a whole pizza!"

"I've got a big brain." Roxas said proudly. Hayner laughed and joined in, following their inside joke: "And big brains need big meals! You got it, the breakfast of champions coming up."

They ate in companionable silence, the awkwardness of last night gone with the morning sunshine. Roxas scolded himself inside, for letting himself relax so much. He would have to leave here soon and it wouldn't do to get too comfortable, he knew that, as much as he hated it. He knew how much he had to share with Hayner, how much he had missed and how much his friend was hurting over that. But they would be coming. Marluxia may not have _him_ anymore, but there were other hackers, other spies and information gatherers that he could employ. His whereabouts would not remain a secret for long, and Roxas highly doubted that Marluxia would let him live in peace, not considering what he knew.

He put his fork down on the plate with a clink. Hayner looked up from his meal, cheeks puffed out with porridge. He frowned and swallowed, pointing his spoon at Roxas's plate before speaking.

"Do you want some more? I know you, you can hardly be full from that."

Roxas looked away, out the window at the frost on the trees, the mist in the garden. "We have to talk, Hayner."

"Oh. Yeah." Hayner's happy face fell and he stood up, clearing the plates and cutlery sullenly.

"I have to go, Hayner. I'm sorry about that, really I am." He looked up at his friend's back, busily washing up in the corner. "Will you look at me, please? Come on, man."

Hayner turned around, leaning against the sink with his arms crossed.

"So I drive out and get you in the middle of the night, scared out of my wits for your dumb arse, look after you, deal with your little bitch fit and you're just going to up and leave? What about a 'Thank you, Hayner', y'know? Or some explanation about what the hell happened to you after we graduated? I _missed_ you, Roxas. We all did!"

Roxas hung his head, staring at the tabletop, feeling a prickling behind his eyes.

"They'll work out where I am soon, Hayner. I have to be gone by then. So do you. You should get out of here for a while, go stay with your parents. Warn Olette and Pence too, we can't be too careful."

"Who the hell are '_they_'?" Hayner's cross stare insinuated a realm of paranoia and the potential of insanity on Roxas's part. "The fucking Illuminati?"

"You've heard of Xemnas Amsel, right?"

Hayner snorted. "Of course I have, everyone has. Naminé said you'd ended up working for him." He shook his head. "He's mixed up in some bad shit, Roxas..."

"...And I should have known better, yeah, I know." Roxas finished for him. "But I got involved anyway. Didn't have much of a choice. I was doing some freelance work to pay the bills when this started, a little bit of virtual breaking and entering." He rubbed the varnish with one thumb, feeling the grain beneath it. "Before you say anything, I know you say I could have stayed here. But I couldn't, Hayner, I really couldn't," he looked up at his friend for the first time. "You guys have always looked after me, but I needed to do something for myself. I felt kept, trapped... Ansem said I was good enough to strike out on my own, so I did, and when I fucked it up, I couldn't come back to you, not after how far I'd gone on my own... it would have felt like a step backwards."

He took a deep breath, waiting for Hayner's inevitably hurt reaction. Instead, he said nothing, just frowned, suddenly looking tired and drained. "I get it."

Roxas looked at him nervously, waiting for more. When it didn't come he started again. "So I was doing freelance work, nothing legal, but nothing too heavy. Some small-fry business owner asked me to do some digging, find out where Xemnas was looking to spend next. I got cocky, and curious. He figured out someone had been in, I don't know how." He frowned down at his hands. "There was certainly no one there with that expertise when _I_ was working there." He swallowed. "I always figured they'd got rid of him when they got me. And he must have been _good_, to get me."

Hayner swore under his breath and nodded, looking panicked. "Jesus, Roxas!"

"When he caught up to me, he offered me a choice: a job or a disappearance. If I worked for him, he'd pay off my debts, give me somewhere to live. If I didn't, I'd just... disappear." He slammed his hands down on the work surface, ignoring the stabbing pains that shot up his forearms. "I wanted to _live_, Hayner. Was I so damned wrong to want that? I'll admit it, I liked it. I _loved_ it. The power, the assurance, the adrenaline... I've seen information that secret services would _love_ to get their hands on." He held his hands in front of him, shaking and red from the impact. "I felt like I was in control."

Hayner sat down in front of him, staring him down. "I guess I can understand wanting that. It's not something to be ashamed of, Rox. We all want control in our lives, I guess you just wanted it more than most." He sighed. "So, Xemnas is after you? Well he's all locked up for now, isn't he? It was on the news this morning, some big raid on Hollow Bastion." He gave Roxas's shoulder a friendly punch. "So you've got nothing to worry about, nothing he can do in there."

"...If you think that Hayner, you are very wrong." Roxas shivered, eyes closed. "But it's not him I'm worried about, not for the moment anyway, although he will come after me when he finds out."

"...Roxas... finds out what?" Hayner touched his hand in concern, searching his face for some kind of clue.

Roxas went very quiet. "...who put him in prison."

Hayner jerked back suddenly, face white, mouth moving in barely comprehensible cursing.

"_You? You put Xemnas Amsel in prison?_"

"It was my employer's idea, but I gave the police the information, the tip-off. Then I covered his and my involvement in the entire organisation before I ran for it, with half the cash." He stood up to fetch himself a drink, trying to keep his hands from shaking as he poured the coffee. "There's no way on this earth Marluxia Fontaine would let me live, knowing what I know."

"Fontaine?" Hayner's eyebrows looked like they would raise right off his forehead. "Marluxia Fontaine? ...You have pissed off a _lot_ of dangerous people, Roxas!"

Roxas slammed the glass back down. "So you see why I can't stay here?" He was shaking now, unable to control it. He panted, shoulders taut as he dug his palms into the table. Hayner was shaking now too, incapable of saying anything other than 'fuck', over and over again. For a moment, he felt sixteen again, hiding from Seifer's gang, Hayner cursing to himself over and over again as Roxas crouched on the floor, regaining his breath. If only, he thought, if only he knew that the only consequence of getting caught would be a scuffle, some bruises, a split lip. He shivered in the memory's wake, watching Hayner get control of his emotions again.

"Can you go to the police?" He finally suggested after regaining his calm.

Roxas snorted. "Yeah, right. They'll charge me for association and then they'll throw me right in there with him, or his associates. I wonder how long I'll last then. What do you think, two days? Three at the outside?"

"Yeah alright," Hayner muttered, "no need to get snappy."

"Besides that, do you know just how many people on the police roll have ties or loyalties to either Marluxia or Xemnas? I probably wouldn't even make it to the cell before someone slit my throat, hoping to gain favour with one or both."

Hayner looked surprised. Roxas couldn't help but feel both exasperation and affection for his naivety. Oh, how he wished he didn't have to get him all caught up in this too, and yet how relieved he was to have him back at his side. He could have hugged him as Hayner sat back down again, tackling the problem from every angle as they had always done.

"Alright, so we're running from three people. The police are the main ones to worry about, they've got the most resources to get to us. Xemnas is out of the picture for at least _today_. No matter how good he is, I can't see him wasting opportunities to get information out on you when he could be trying to get himself out." He looked up, waiting for Roxas to fill any gaps in his knowledge. "What can we expect from Marluxia?"

Roxas screwed up his eyes, trying to think of any pertinent information about his former employer. "I'd guess he's trying to avoid suspicion at the moment. If I know him at all, he'll probably try to make himself look good as possible so... he might work with the police. If he is looking for me, he'd probably do it through them. But we can't rule out other options. He employed me, he's probably got other," he smirked, "below-line associates to do his dirty work."

Hayner nodded. "So you need to find out if the police actually are out for you at the moment. As long as they aren't, we can probably step smart and get ahead of the others." Hayner strode to the living room beyond the kitchen and came back holding two laptops. "You check their database, I'll look for alerts to regional offices and toll booths and the like."

Roxas accepted the laptop, almost stunned at his friend's sudden decisiveness. He opened it up and began to get to work, slow movements getting quicker and quicker as he regained confidence. They both settled into the work in silence, getting a rhythm going as they checked all possible sources of information. The coffee pot was drained and refilled, light conversation made as they started their exhaustive effort.

"...So what was it like?"

"What was what like?"

Hayner had the grace to look embarrassed at his eagerness as he elaborated: "Working in Hollow Bastion. People would pay thousands to get to a party in there!"

Roxas laughed, he couldn't help it. "Um, I guess it was fun? I don't really know. I didn't spend a lot of time at the parties. I wasn't supposed to interact with the customers much. I was either at my station upstairs or hanging out at the bar with Axel."

"Axel?"

"He was the junior bartender." Roxas smiled. "And kinda my best friend there."

Hayner huffed softly, unwilling to show jealousy.

"He taught me how to mix and serve drinks and I helped him out at weekends. We both had apartments in Bastion, hung out together on off days. I was pretty much cooped up there, as a new employee, but he went out a lot. He never really said where, I guess he just had a social life outside of me. I guess he worked other places or something."

"You don't know?" Hayner seemed incredulous. "Some best friend."

Roxas shrugged. "...Nobody really asked personal questions. The less we knew about each other, the better I guess, from the management's point of view. We all worked for the same guy, that was supposed to be enough. Everyone's got secrets they want to stay kept, Hayner." He rilled his head back on his neck, staring up at the ceiling, at the light flashing on the smoke alarm. "I guess I didn't know much about him, or anyone there... But you don't have to know everything about a person to be their friend."

Hayner glanced at him over the top of the laptop.

"We had some fun though. This one time," Roxas leaned over the table, half-laughing to himself in memory already, "this one time, we were completely out of dry vermouth. Some sort of stocking error or something, Vexen was furious, and this guy rolls up and asks for a dry martini, dry as you can get." He mimicked the gruff, demanding voice and pompous attitude perfectly.

"Vexen looked like he was going to say something, what I don't know, you can't really let on that the bar of the infamous Xemnas Anselm isn't stocked properly. But Axel just takes out a glass, makes a normal martini and the, right in front of this guy, he downs it. All in one. Then he slowly," Roxas mimed with his coffee cup, "drags his finger round the inside to get rid of the moisture. He puts it down in front of the guy, like there's nothing wrong and says: 'Driest martini in the house, sir.'"

Hayner snorted, trying to hold back a laugh and failing in spite of himself. "What did the guy do?"

"I thought he was going to kill him. I seriously thought he was going to take a swing and it'd all be over for Axel. But he just bursts out laughing! We couldn't get him to stop! He just stood there, clapping Axel on the shoulder, showering us with tips, while Vexen scrounged up a bottle from somewhere." Roxas paused to get a drink. "I guess he just had a way with people. He was always fun to be around. Probably what made him such a good bartender. You always felt like you could trust him, even if you knew nothing about him."

"And 'friend'." Hayner added in a dark tone. Roxas glared back, good mood broken. "I'm glad you had a friend you could really confide in, probably some junkie, instead of coming to us and letting us help you."

"Hayner!"

"Where do you think he went at weekends? To babysit disabled children? He was probably selling drugs to them. If you'd had any cash he woulda rolled you for it anyway."

"He was my _friend_, Hayner, we did all the things you and I used to do, you know? Playing video games, bitching about the customers... What are you, jealous? Because you're acting like a jealous boyfriend. Mad because he was there and you weren't."

"I could have been, if you'd let me." Hayner shot back. The two fell silent, glaring at each other, arms crossed, refusing to back down.

"Whatever, Roxas. I've got work to do, try and keep you alive and away from the kind of people this 'friend' of yours associates with. He's probably as happy with you as Xemnas is. I highly doubt a few nights playing Mario Kart after hours is going to stop him if he decides you're worth more dead. Do you trust him enough not to kill you? Really?"

Roxas flinched at the reminder of the pressure he was under.

"No." He muttered. "I don't. I was just... it wasn't all bad."

"Don't have any sympathy for them Roxas." Hayner jerked his chin up until he could stare him right out. "They're not going to have any for you."

"Yeah. Alright."

_dbdbdbdbdb_

Hayner sat back, stretching out with his arms behind his head. "I don't think they're looking for you yet. What about on your end?"

Roxas shook his head. "If they are, they're very good at covering their tracks. I've tried everywhere I can think of, but I can't see any evidence of a search for information. Doesn't mean they haven't though. I've got alerts up on a few key websites." He made a few swift clicks, then swivelled the screen round to show Hayner. "I changed some details about you guys too, should keep Olette and Pence clear of it altogether. And they won't be able to find anything on _my_ home or parents." He looked away. "I got rid of that years ago."

Hayner looked at him sorrowfully, making Roxas shift uncomfortably. "So what we're watching for is access to any information that _is_ still around, my schooling, my immediate housing, and anyone related to me." He nodded at Hayner. "That's you guys. The only thing I can't keep an eye on is Naminé."

Hayner looked panicked for a moment. "You think they'll go after Naminé?"

Roxas sighed and nodded. "They might... although I'll be surprised if they think of her before they try any of these places, and they can get all the info they need from there. She should be safe. Either way I've told her to lay low, and if she's really in trouble, to go to the police. They shouldn't bother _her_ at least."

Hayner nodded. "So you're... safe... for the moment."

Roxas shook his head. "I wouldn't call it safe, but I guess I've got a little breathing space."

"Then you're staying here for a bit."

Roxas looked up and shook his head vehemently. "No way, man. You are not getting involved in this, I won't let you! Besides, I can't just sit easy on this stuff. This is the perfect time to make some headway, to get out of here."

"You won't _let_ me? Roxas, there is no _letting_ me. I am going to help you out, whatever you say or do. Look how much I've helped you already. I have always had your back, at school, against Seifer, at university... I can help you..." His voice took on a pleading tone. "I haven't seen you in _years,_ Roxas. You're just going to drop this bomb on me and leave again?"

Roxas put his head in his hands, unwilling to endanger Hayner, but unused to life on the run, craving the comfort and companionship he'd had today.

"Two days. That's it. Earlier, if someone sets off an alarm. And no, you're not coming with me."

Hayner looked like he was about to argue until Roxas cut him off. "Don't try to bargain with me. That's it. These are dangerous people, Hayner, more dangerous than you know. Your dad's pheasant gun won't stop them for long."

Hayner acceded the fight, though his stance remained defensive and his face grim. "Fair enough, Roxas. But I don't like it."

"You don't have to, Hayner. It's just how it's going to go."

* * *

_**A/N:**__** Updates on this will be slow, I have university courses to attend to now. Any concrit on this would be much appreciated, I've never written a chaptered fic before and I quite honestly have no idea where it's going to go. It may end up not being AkuRoku, it may end up with a sad ending, a happy ending or a Michael Bay ending, so I apologise if you came here thinking any of the above would be definite.**_


	4. Dance With The Devil

**Fourth Chapter: _Dance With The Devil:_**

Marluxia stood at the window, watching Larxene screech around the drive in her new car. He winced at the sound of squealing tires as she executed a turn never usually seen outside of films. Axel lounged in a chair, fiddling with his hair.

"With Hollow Bastion out, you could probably pull out a new club with little opposition. Spit in the eye for Xemnas too – means he'll have to work harder to compete when he gets out."

"I did have something in mind. Finding the location is important though, and nothing has come to mind yet."

"What are you looking for? I might know somewhere." Axel faked nonchalance, sensing his first in.

"Privacy. Security. A way out. I don't want to get caught out like Xemnas. Somewhere hard to surround."

"Inner-city is probably best too. People are getting jumpy about heading out of the city and into the dark." He stared at Marluxia offhandedly. "You know they found bodies on the grounds?"

Marluxia chuckled. "I'm really not surprised. But it wouldn't be Xemnas who put them there, just flunkies taking advantage of the space. Those meadows are irresistible for dumpers." Axel nodded. It wouldn't do to underestimate Xemnas in that respect. It was also a warning to Axel – if he was in, he was in. Marluxia knew hwo to make people disappear just as well as Xemnas. "Alright then, central, urban."

"The dock renovations are still underway. Plenty of time to buy up a block or two. Plus, nobody will be looking at a lot of builders round there right now. You could make some additions without too many questions..." Axel gesticulated vaguely.

"Whatever are you accusing me of Axel?" Marluxia smiled without looking back.

"They've had to revamp the sewers round there. Should be pretty easy to dig a path out into them. For escape. Or you could connect some basements." He shrugged. "Whatever you have in mind."

Marluxia turned away from the window as Larxene abandoned the Maserati for another. The valet jumped away from her as she came near, as if she was spitting sparks. He pretended to contemplate Axel's words.

"I'd need some people. My business is still largely legitimate, my skill base is limited."

"If you're thinking about stealing talent from Xemnas you might have some problems. Riku is holding onto them like a terrier right now. I imagine it'll be a while before anyone gets out. I'm still not sure how you got _me_ out." _Or why. _Axel tried not to look too deeply at his new employer. Asking questions this early might be imprudent. It had become obvious shortly after leaving the precinct that this wasn't just a drugs bust.

"And who would I hire? Demyx?" Marluxia grimaced. "Almost anyone of any use is too loyal to Xemnas. I have no desire to be sold out." He sat opposite Axel and poured a drink for them both. "Not everyone got arrested though."

"Yeah? Who made it out?" Axel sat up, interested. As far as he knew, everyone had been hauled off, no exceptions.

"The security booth was empty. Well. Half empty. Zexion was out for the count, but there should have been someone else up there, shouldn't there?" Axel couldn't see Marluxia's eyes through the sweep of hair, but the way his skin crawled told him instinctively that they weren't happy.

"... Roxas. Little techie kid. You've got techs."

"Not like him. Do you know where he was educated? But that's not really the point. The point is, that he wasn't there. So he's smart."

"Yeah, he is. You thinking of hiring him?"

Marluxia ignored the question. "I don't like that much smart disappearing into thin air."

Axel shrugged again. "He'll be around somewhere. Scared. He's new to all this, a big kick off like that probably sent him down a hole for a bit." He was suddenly concerned for him though, thinking of Roxas trying to get out in the middle of a raid, Zexion unconscious behind him... it must have been a close call if Zexion had been hit.

"You knew him quite well didn't you? I saw him with you at the bar sometimes."

"Yeah, we hung out a bit on slow nights. He's a nice guy, little clueless but fun for it." He shifted uncomfortably. "Lousy bartender though, if you're hiring."

Marluxia smiled without humour. "You ever see him outside of work?"

"Not so much. Xemnas kept him busy. What's this all about really? You thinking of hiring him?" He smirked, trying to break the atmosphere that was getting colder by the minute.

"I already have."

"You could make a guy jealous like that you know."

"Think of everything he's seen working there. He knows who works with who. Who's given money where. He could implicate innocent businessmen in certain transactions, Axel. He is important." "I want him found."

Axel sat to attention again, sensing the predator circling. "Yes, sir." Axel felt too hot, and suddenly far too close to Marluxia. For the first time, this freedom shebang was starting to feel a little uncertain

"And dead. I believe I can trust you in that." Axel gaped at him, nonchalance disappeared. He had the feeling of a cornered animal. This was not the kind of business he could back out of easily. If Marluxia wanted Roxas dead, Axel was going to be intrinsically involved.

"He's not a rat...sir... I know him. He could be useful."

"He doesn't have to be, to be a threat. He has already run from me, he won't be so quick to accept me as you. More's the pity." He smiled a crocodile smile that made Axel's insides clench. "Find him for me."

His smile didn't fade, even in the face of Axel's apparent discomfort. "Think of everything he's seen working there. He knows who works with who. Who's given money where. He could implicate innocent businessmen in certain transactions, Axel." He laughed. "What did you think we'd do, ask him to come back?"

One last sally for the sake of friendship. "And if I could persuade him?"

Marluxia's face froze, the smile fading into the cast of his face. He pulled his hair back, locking his eyes against Axel's with the haughtiness of a king. "I am not telling you to persuade him. Do not mistake this relationship for one of mutuality. I am ordering you to kill him, Axel. There is no compromise in this."

Axel's freedom had dwindled into the tiniest fragment of a glimmer _as long as he could leave this room_. The imperative burned into his brain along with the realisation of just how many weapons there were in this room alone, let alone along the corridors, halls and stairs he had to take before he could get out. He stared at Marluxia, realising rapidly that his hands were no longer on the desk, and the motors outside had gone dead.

"Okay."

Marluxia smiled again, as Larxene slid in through the door. "Good."

_dbdbdbdbdb_

Kairi placed the cup of coffee next to Sora's head, nestled in his arms. He had spent all afternoon sitting in on interviews, liasing with everyone from lawyers, to the mayor, to the garbage crew who wanted to know when they could get out to pick up the rubbish from the closed club. His fringe rose and fell around his eyebrows with every gentle, sleeping breath. She almost reached out to brush it away, conduct be damned. He was still so young, something they always forgot, at least until it came time for someone to point the finger for something – too few police, too many mistakes. He took on every complaint and accusation himself, and spread the compliments out throughout his force. The kind of policeman nobody thinks exists any more. Still, he wouldn't forgive her for letting him sleep.. She stretched out her hand again -

"I'm awake." He grumbled into his elbows.

Kairi recovered from the shock by offering the coffee again. "I brought you something to drink. And an alibi." She winked. "Seems like you could use a little break."

Sora sat up and stretched, the bones in his fingers and neck crackling in protest. "What have I still got left to do today?"

Kairi nodded at the stack of paper on his desk. "That, for a start off."

Sora groaned theatrically. "Paperwork? Really?" He looked up at her with a glint in his eye. "I don't suppose you...?"

Kairi laughed. "I suppose I could give you a hand. In the name of productivity." She pulled half the stack over to her and started reading through it. "Don't forget your coffee."

He took a deep, appreciative gulp and grabbed the rest of the paper. "You missed debriefing today," he noted. "Remind me to reprimand you."

"It was nothing I haven't heard before. 'Well done', 'don't talk to the press'... Riku cannot spell worth a damn you know." She said, circling something.

"Marluxia came in today."

"I know. I tried to listen by the door but Riku shuffled me off with make-work. What the hell did that creep want anyway?"

"Axel, mostly. And to show off."

"Flaunting his supposed innocence." She shook her head vehemently. "There is something wrong with that man and you know it."

"No, I suspect it. And there is a big difference."

"The difference that allows you to slap some silver on his wrist and throw him in with the rest of those idiots?"

"That's the one."

She shuddered. "I just can't feel right letting those two walk out of here. If nothing else, the roads would be a lot safer without Larxene out there."

"I know what you mean. Marluxia is one of those people you can't imagine _not _being involved in something like this. It sticks in my teeth.. but we have no proof."

Kairi didn't respond, staring down at her forms for a minute. "Is this the complete role call from yesterday?"

"Should be." He glanced over the paper in her hand. "Why?"

She flicked the paper over again and counted. "You're missing one. Roxas... something. I don't remember his last name." She frowned. "He was definitely there when I made the pre-bust rounds.

"Who is he?"

"Techie."

Sora waved it off. "Probably went off sick and is loitering back in case he gets pulled in."

"Not Roxas. I don't think Xemnas ever let him off the compound."

Sora stared at her, surprised at her sudden serious tone. She was chewing the end of her ponytail, frowning at the forms. "You're sure?"

"Definitely." She stared back at him, the wet tip of her hair still sticking to her lips. "Find Zexion's interview."

Sora shuffled through and handed it to her. She read quickly, eyes flicking through for one name. "Ah! Here we go. Zexion says that Roxas was in the security booth with him. He heard a loud bang... and remembers nothing else. We thought he was sitting too close to the door, got hit when we came in."

Sora turned to his filing cabinet and flicked through until he pulled out a folder. "Wakka and Celes took that room didn't they?" He ran his finger down the words, grappling with Wakka's renowned enthusiasm as to punctuation and sentence structure. "They only found Zexion in there. Celes is a thorough officer, she will have searched that place with a fine-toothed comb."

"...He wasn't there." Kairi said. "How... how did he get out before us? He must have had fifteen, twenty minutes tops before we came in to get him, and if he'd gone out any of the exits we would have picked him up..."

Sora breathed deeply, his mind opening up the possibilities and answers. "He must have known we were coming."

"You think he was our anonymous tip?"

"Possibly. At the very least, he knows some way to get on and off that property that I want to know about. Very quickly." He glanced up, grinning. "Tell me everything you know about him, in five minutes or less."

"Won't even take that long. We did an initial rundown on him when we were in the planning stages, but we got very little. I filed a report you know," she pouted. "All neatly and properly too."

Sora was already ahead of her, rummaging in the cabinet again. "Go on."

"We found a few names. He went to DiZ, graduated with full honours. Lived with a one Hayner Digenti, but the association seemed to fall through. Met one of Xemnas' girls there, Namine. We assume she got him the job. No criminal record, no real family record. At least one parent dead, the other absent. That's the sum of it."

"Alright, and what's not on the record. You knew him well?"

"Not well. He seemed pretty quiet, pretty innocent." She shrugged apologetically. "He was in the booth a lot."

"Anyone else know him?"

"Zexion, I'd presume. Namine. Vexen might know a thing or two. Axel would be your best bet though... he helped out on the bar sometimes. They took breaks together."

"We'll talk to Zexion again. Delicately. I don't want our interest showing. Namine we already released. Anyone that cries that much cannot be a criminal mastermind..."

"Axel?" Kairi prompted.

"Gone."

"GONE?" She surprised herself with her own volume, leaning in and lowering her voice. "Gone? How come?"

"He made bail. Marluxia. They had a previous association. Riku didn't like it much, but he could afford the bail, and the guy was just a glorified busboy. Most he woulda known about is how much Xemnas spent on Atlantian wine last year." He looked at her in surprise, as her face took on the characteristic shade of someone about to get very, very angry. "What's wrong?"

"Do you bother to read _any _of my reports?" Her voice took on that shrill tone that really dug into his ear drums. Sora hastily took his coffee out of the line of fire, warding her off with it as she leaned over into his face. She was rapidly gearing up for an extended shouting session.

"I read them, Kairi. I do. But I have to read Riku's too, and all the internal memos... it must have slipped out from under me."

Kairi became painfully aware of the bags under his eyes, and the non-case related paperwork bundled up in a corner of the room.

"I'm sorry for shouting." She laid a hand on his shoulder, comfortingly. "But please believe me when I say this is important. Axel might look like a goof, but people really talk to him. Before he hooked up with Xemnas, he used to be a go-to guy. According to old reports, we've even used him before. It could be worth locating him again, before Marluxia gets him out of our reach."

Sora stared at the report, resting his head in his hands. "He probably knows a thing or too about Marluxia we could do with knowing. If we could get it out of him." He sighed. "Get Riku in here. Get notices out for Roxas and Axel. Dig up Namine again too, I want her close in case I need to ask questions."

"I'll get in a jumbo box of tissues then too." Kairi paused by the door, grinning from ear to ear. "This is a good move, boss."

"I'm not old enough to be 'boss' yet." He smiled back, letting her excitement wake him up. "Go on, get gone."

He sorted Roxas and Axel's files together on one side of the desk, Marluxia's next to them. He stared at them for a moment longer, before turning to the even bigger folder, labelled Xemnas. It was a start, but in the wrong direction for the prosecution. For now.


End file.
